Project Aims To Replace Trees Lost In Hurricane Isabel

Diggin' In

March 07, 2004|By KATHY VAN MULLEKOM Daily Press

One loblolly, two loblolly, three loblolly, four .... You say you need more?

Next Saturday, you can get as many loblolly pines as you want.

Bundles of the native southern pines -- along with river birch, willow oak, white oak and bald cypress -- are available in bags of 10 seedlings (two of each variety) to the public for $1. Yes, that's only a dollar.

Neighborhood associations, schools, clubs and individuals can order the bags of 18-inch-tall seedlings through the James City County extension office or buy them at the Community Reforestation Project day, 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturday at the James City County/Williamsburg Community Center on Longhill Road in Williamsburg.

"We came up with the idea based on emotional calls received after the hurricane," says Leanne DuBois, horticulture program coordinator in the JCC and New Kent extension offices.

"A lot of people are looking for an affordable way to replace trees."

It will be months, maybe years, before we know just how many trees were lost during Isabel last September. The numbers are staggering when you just start adding up the cubic yards of storm debris deposited at landfills. And there's more debris to come in this spring because many homeowners have left fallen or leaning trees waiting until they -- or an affordable tree company -- can tend to them.

Newport News and York County estimate they lost 40,000 and 60,000 trees, respectively. Hampton comes up with a conservative 6,000. These figures come from cubic yards of storm debris collected, according to public works people in the localities.

Bill Apperson, a local forester with the Virginia Department of Forestry, hopes to eventually convert board feet of timber salvaged into some figure on trees lost, but it will be months before that number is available, he says.

In the meantime, he's fielded lots of questions about tree species that weathered or failed in the storm.

"One thing I can say now is that almost -- especially the larger trees -- all of the hardwood trees I examined that went down in yard environments had some root disease," he says.

"Many had advanced disease problems and I'm surprised the disease damage did not show up more in the above-ground portion of the tree."

Leyland cypress is one of the most obvious trees to stumble in the storm. These evergreens, used often to screen out sights and sounds and to border property lines, were leaning or totally down almost any place they were planted.

"This tree is propagated by rooting cuttings, and trees with root systems from rooting cuttings almost never have the strength of durability of root systems that have been grown from seedlings grown from seed," says Apperson.

Slash pines, which have weak limbs often damaged by high winds, ice and snow storms, were also hit hard by Isabel.

Eastern white pines struggled to survive the storm, he says. Native to the mountains of Virginia where drainage is better along slopes, the pine does not like poorly drained sites in our eastern part of the state. The tree does not grow well here, often suffering from root-rot disease.

The bare-root seedlings available at Saturday's event were chosen because they are considered to be among some of the best trees for our growing conditions. Costs for the trees, which come from the forestry department, were covered by the city of Williamsburg, James City County and a grant from Wal-Mart, according to DuBois.

Bare-root trees should be planted immediately to keep the fragile roots from drying out. If you can't plant them right away, store the trees in a cool place and keep the roots moist.

Here's a rundown on the characteristics of the five kinds of seedlings available Saturday:

A loblolly pine -- Pinus taeda -- grows fast, reaching 60- to 90-feet tall and 25- to 35-feet wide. It needs full sun and tolerates any soil. It's a good windscreen, but loses its lower branches as it ages. The tree provides shelter for many birds, and chipmunks, squirrels and other small rodents that consume the seeds. These pines are an integral part of my garden, which is geared for wildlife.

River birch -- Betula nigra -- is a nice deciduous shade tree for almost any size property. Avoid planting it too close to sidewalks, driveways and house foundations because its roots can crack concrete. The tree quickly grows 40- to 70-feet tall and 50-feet wide. Birds like its seeds, and you'll enjoy its cinnamon-colored, exfoliating bark during winter. The tree tolerates wet soils and dry summers, but dislikes alkaline soils. Deer like its medium-green leaves.